Mark Harris
Republican congressman for North Carolina's 8th District, re-elected in 2026 just outside recount range.
Mark Harris held a 1.71% lead over Democrat Colby Watson in the 8th District on North Carolina's 11 November file, wide enough that no trailing candidate can demand a recount.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Is Mark Harris's 1.71% margin safe from the provisional-ballot drift?
Timeline for Mark Harris
Mentioned in: Raymond Smith overtakes Murphy in NC-3
US Midterms 2026Background
Mark Harris finished the 11 November 2026 precinct file ahead in North Carolina's 8th District by 1.71%, outside the 1% margin that lets a trailing candidate demand a recount. Four other North Carolina House seats fell inside that line on the same file.
Harris, a former Baptist pastor from Charlotte, has held the seat since January 2025. His first win, in the 9th District in 2018, was never certified: the State Board of Elections ordered a new election after finding absentee-ballot fraud by an operative working for his campaign, and Harris did not run in it.
His seat is one of the few Republican-held districts in the state that the late count left safe, with Democrats leading 11 of the 14 districts.
Reference
When did Mark Harris join Congress?
Why was Mark Harris's 2018 election overturned?
Did Mark Harris win re-election in North Carolina's 8th District?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.